What are you reading? What’s on your bookshelf? And what does it say about you? Have you ever been to someone’s home, and you know that something feels a little “off,” but you aren’t sure why? That happens to me when there are no books. And it’s most surprising when it’s a spacious and expensive […]
Yellow shirts. Red wine. Squirrels on the roof.
Billboard from IKEA. Clouds like cobblestones against an inky sky. A train passes; we pick up speed, underground again, lights reflecting against windows. So few people. Behind me now. I feel him behind me now. It’s late. White shirts, blank faces, no babies or commuters. More white shirts. Good, I think he’s leaving. My black […]
Strange notes; no visible thread
No visible thread, no thread we recognize; only these strange notes, this scent, this cloud of color, this reminiscent taste. Yes, the sensation of relief. Yesterday, walking… and reminders I wondered once what I would remember and what I would forget. Yesterday, walking. Yesterday, restless. Yesterday, too much to do, my first born in the […]
You CAN fight city hall: in praise of public servants
Mad as hell Remember the scene in Network, with Peter Finch yelling “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this anymore?” That was me, yesterday, railing over meter madness and an undeserved parking ticket, determined to “fight city hall,” despite the odds. Guess what – it worked! (If you didn’t read this morning’s […]
Meter, meter, tourist eater?
We have a SLEW of sayings to get through days when nothing seems to go right. Life isn’t fair… Tomorrow is another day… When life gives you lemons, make lemonade… and when someone’s “done you wrong” – remember: pick your battles… Then there’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. Parking ticket trauma Yesterday I […]
Less Stress Over Mounting Debt? Don’t Think So.
Less stress, though your mountain of debt is growing? Be wary of data that doesn’t make sense. Dig deeper.
Second Chances
“I didn’t think there were second chances. Not really,” he said to me on the phone. It was a friend I hadn’t talked to in some time. He sounded happy. He’d been through a lot in recent years – divorce, layoff, financial problems. And after five years, at the age of 50, he’d met someone […]
Fly in the Ointment for Flying Bus?
I do love my daily dose of international internet news… France-Soir and The Telegraph are reporting on Ryanair, the low-cost Irish airline, and its recent service-slashing proposals that would really put the bus into Airbus! Are you ready to climb aboard, fasten your belt, but without seat backs in the upright position? Why? Because there […]
Cruise Control
It’s drizzling, and still only half light, 6:00 a.m. I need to shower and dress, to drink the first cup of coffee. Dreams are drifting in and out: old friends, improbable scenarios, places I’ve never seen that are vaguely European. The dog is sleeping, stretched on the floor next to my bed. I hear her […]
Competitive Kids, Competitive Parents
How much competitiveness should we encourage in our children, and at what age? How competitive should we be with our kids? Our go go go society We know the tales of waiting lists, reference letters and expensive testing – all to get toddlers into the right preschools. Never too early to get our children properly […]